Systemic discrimination is any discrimination which occurs within a system as a result of the system’s patterns of behaviours, policies, practices or individuals who are not kept in check appropriately by said system. Such systems which perpetuate disadvantage for marginalised groups of people are engaging in systemic discrimination.

Let’s look at a few examples of such systems in Far North Queensland.

Queensland Mental Health

It is policy in many Mental Health Units that patients are not allowed to keep their own mobile phones, and must use hospital phones for communication. This policy has ensured that any deaf patient is completely cut off from outside communication by virtue of their disability.

Using the National Relay Service to contact a QLD MHU to enquire about family members or to share concerns has resulted in staff members telling the deaf caller to “stop calling via third parties”, and to “not call again”.

Queensland Health

Deaf people have been viewed as incapable of consent, and thus medical decisions have been made for them by doctors “for their own good” regardless of the deaf person’s feelings, decisions and inalienable human rights.

Deaf visitors have had security called on them for “speaking loudly” and “waving their hands around” because this behaviour was considered aggressive. These deaf visitors were simply signing and communicating. Without the ability to hear one’s own voice, it is impossible to self regulate voice volumes… obviously.

Queensland Courts

Joint applicants where one party is deaf and the other hearing, have been denied court appointed interpreters because the “hearing party can speak on behalf of the deaf party, answer any necessary questions and make decisions”.

Interpreter bookings for criminal cases have not been made for some deaf people, and in one such situation, a hearing party who had been charged for the same offences as the deaf person; was compelled by the judge to interpret for the deaf person.

Family courts have refused equitable interpreting access to knowing what was happening in court proceedings where deaf partners were interested persons of court proceedings, were being discussed in the court cases, and would be impacted by the court decisions.

Queensland Police Service

Officers from the same FNQ police region have displayed disregard, disrespect and discriminatory remarks regarding deaf people, and have refused to use interpreters or alternate forms of communication with deaf people.

Officers have screamed louder at deaf people after being informed of their disability, and carried on as if that was sufficient communication, and attempted to taser deaf people for not complying with the yelled instructions.

Police have neglected to inform Courts and Police prosecutors of the need for interpreting so deaf people are limited even further, not knowing what is happening.

Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women

The Department has recorded down complaints and “concerns” which are discriminatory for the sake of establishing a “history of concerns”. It is unethical and discriminatory to record a concern that a parent is deaf, uses a language that nobody else can understand, or has children that have deaf accents.

Deaf parents have been threatened and have had their children removed simply on the basis they are deaf and are neglectful parents because of any differences in speech, language, communication, or lifestyle practices.

Queensland Department of Education

The Department and schools have often decided that someone is not “deaf” enough to require interpreting support, have limited language accessibility to deaf children with varying language needs, and have forced children to learn and be assessed in English without adjusting for the fact they are being communicated with in an entirely different language in most cases.

In FNQ, there are people in positions of power within the Education system who are stuck in old-school ways of treating deaf people and deaf children. They continue to decide what is best for all deaf children, with no regard for the diversity of communication and language needs present throughout all deaf children and families. It is the children who usually suffer this and are leaving schools with extremely poor literacy and numeracy which speaks very loudly that the accepted way of doing things is not working.

Deaf Services Queensland

As a peak body for deaf, it would be amiss to not mention this system. Millions of dollars are given to DSQ in funding from the government to provide services and supports for the deaf community. Yet, this is one such organisation invested in maintaining the status quo. They employ deaf people who won’t rock the boat and will maintain the status quo. They direct a small amount of funds into token programs for the deaf which are often not practically useful. They do very little to advocate and change local systems and support deaf people in their lives. They are one organisation which especially takes advantage of the fact most deaf people are vulnerable, have limited access to English and the larger society, and are unlikely to question anything. Systemic discrimination exists within Deaf Services Queensland also.

Auslan Connections, an off-shoot of DSQ provide interpreters. Some of these interpreters have no respect at all for the diverse language needs of the deaf community and engage in reducing choice and control. For example using pure Auslan syntax when a client needs English syntax, or refusing to use their lips to provide extra support for clients who need lipreading.

Systemic Discrimination

Systemic discrimination is very dangerous to deaf people who rely on services and supports to be professional and understanding of their disability specific needs. After all, these systems are official, formal, professional authorities, not the average discriminatory ignorant joe.

It is this power base which makes systemic discrimination a real threat to the lives of deaf people. The average joe can’t take your children, keep you in hospital against your will, force you to submit to medical procedures without informed consent, dictate to you how you are to live your life, make you jump through extra hoops to prove yourself, put you in jail, taser you for not responding to yelled instructions, prevent you from reaching out to someone who can interpret or support you, assess your abilities unfairly based on discriminatory expectations you can’t meet etc. These systems can though… and will!

All of the things I have touched up on in this post have happened within the past year. Yes, we are talking about 2019, not freaking 1984, but it may as well be Orwell’s 1984 with the way things are in reality for deaf people.

Systemic discrimination is so insidious, vast, neverending and all powerful. I’ve been guilty of “letting things go” myself as I haven’t wanted to place my children at risk because of my indignant activism against deaf discrimination. I’ve also learnt my lesson the hard way… and that is this:

Keeping your head down and not sticking your neck out of your shell is honestly a very limited short term survival strategy. Yep, the crisis will pass, the trauma will remain… but the discrimination and the real risk to our lives will be back at some point in the future. We will always be deaf, and unless we do something about it, systemic discrimination will always be there. As long as these systems are allowed to continue their abuse of marginalised populations unfettered, these people are at risk.

So, kick up a shit storm and make sure the noise you make creates more than just a little ripple in the system. It is taking action towards ensuring your future safety, the safety of your family, and other marginalised populations.

Yours truly,

– deaf in Society